Cologne (dpa/lnw) – Auxiliary Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp will resume his service in Cologne on August 14 after eleven months in Africa. This was announced by the Archdiocese of Cologne on Thursday. At his own request, Schwaderlapp had been released from his service in Germany since October 2021 for his work as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Mombasa in Kenya. Pope Francis had previously rejected his resignation in the abuse affair of the Archdiocese of Cologne because of breaches of duty. In the case of Schwaderlapp, the Vatican had found deficiencies in the handling of abuse proceedings, “but not the intention to cover up abuse or ignore those affected,” said the 2021 message from Rome.
Pope Francis also rejected the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Ansgar Puff last year after he too was on leave for breach of duty. Puff then returned to duty.